Alicia Johns
Alicia Johns is an important main character in all the original six Malory Towers books. She is mainly the joker of the form, although she is also well known for her sharp tongue and quick wits. Alicia is Darrell's friend and very popular. She first appears in the book First Term at Malory Towers 'Appearance' She is mentioned to have bright eyes, and Gwen comments that her hair is short and coarse. Her hair is as black as night. 'Personality' She is active, brave and funny, much like her mother. She is incredibly intelligent and excels at everything. She loves playing pranks, sometimes assisted by Betty Hill. She scorns stupidity, illness and most weaknesses, having not been often ill herself. Malory towers’ mistresses describes Alicia as cheeky and mischievous despite being a intellectual girl. Her friends believe she is to witty for words, however her sharp tounge often leaves her unpopular with it’s victims. 'Abilities' Alicia has always been extremely intelligent, with a brilliant memory. She was rather hard on those who were less quick-witted than her. She has a talent for jokes, and is often the mastermind behind any mischief or tricks in her form! 'Family and Friends' She has three brothers, Sam, Dick, and Roger. Alicia also has a cousin called June, a mother and father, and a uncle and aunt. In her form, Alicia has quite a lot of friends, Betty being her best friend, but she also has quite a lot of enemies, like Gwendoline. 'History' First Term at Malory Towers Alicia first appears when she is instructed by Miss Potts to look after Darrell Rivers when she is new. She immediately mocks Gwendoline Lacey for her doting mother and makes blunt comments about the fact that Sally Hope's mother didn't come to say goodbye. Alicia gives the new girls a tour of the school and takes them to Matron. During the first lesson, Alicia introduces Darrell to Betty Hill, her partner in crime and best friend. Later in the term, Alicia plays a joke, pretending that she is deaf, but it is dealt with by Miss Potts. That evening, Alicia swims in the pool and clogs her ears up. She is puzzled and surprised at Darrell's temper loss with Gwen. Alicia still feels deaf the next day and is moved to sit in the front row as a punishment. When Mary-Lou tidies Alicia's belongings, she accidentally smashes a photograph of Alicia's parents, causing Alicia great anger. This causes Mary-Lou to become friends with Gwendoline, which is the catalyst for Gwen's plan to get even with Alicia and Darrell. Gwen begins to play tricks on Mary-Lou, making it look like Alicia and Darrell are responsible, but no-one believes it after the girls protest their innocence. At half-term, Alicia invites Betty along with her. When Darrell and Sally have a plan to make Mary-Lou braver, Alicia scorns it because she doesn't think it will work. She is, however, proven wrong. Gwendoline despises Mary-Lou once she breaks friends with hers she smashes her fountain pen and blames Darrell. Alicia believes the evidence straight away and dismisses Darrell. When Gwendoline is discovered as the real culprit by Mary-Lou, Alicia re-offers the hand of friendship, but Darrell chooses to stick with Sally. Second Form at Malory Towers Alicia becomes jealous of Sally when she is chosen as the head girl of the second form, as her name is not mentioned as a contender, and she thought the position should be hers (a la Janet in The Third Form at St Clares). Alicia becomes restless and uses an invisible chalk on Mr Young's stool, to the hilarity of the form. She then enlists Darrell to do it again, but Darrell writes "Oy!" on the stool, causing panic for Alicia and Betty, because they cannot think how to explain it away. Alicia is then angry when Darrell gets the credit for the joke. As a way of snubbing Darrell, she and Betty are rude about Sally to her face, trying to make Darrell lose her temper. The two Mamzelles begin to feud over the casting of the parts in two French plays the second form are presenting. Belinda Morris does caricatures of them, presenting Mamzelle Rougier in a negative light and Mamzelle Dupont in a positive light. Alicia convinces her to leave them on the teachers desk when Mamzelle Dupont is teaching them, despite having prior knowledge that Mamzelle Rougier is teaching them instead. The whole form confront Alicia angrily after Mamzelle Rougier goes to report them to Miss Grayling. Sally does not sneak on Alicia. Alicia is unsympathetic when Ellen Wilson is ill in class, telling her harshly to "Go to bed if you're as bad as all that!". She becomes the victim of a few malicious comments from Gwen and Darrell after this. Money and jewellery begins to go missing in the second form and Alicia is sure that Ellen is responsible for it after she catches her going though the mistresses' desks. Despite Sally's orders to keep quiet until they have proof, Alicia tackles Ellen about the thefts, and mocks Sally afterwards. She jeers at Ellen afterwards when the girl is visibly upset, so Jean McDonald tells her to shut up. Ellen is caught cheating by Darrell that night and goes to Matron with a headache. When she is missing the next morning, Alicia feels quite uncomfortable. When Daphne Turner is discovered as the thief instead, Sally accidentally lets slip that Alicia accused her, making Miss Grayling angry. Alicia feels guilty and remorseful about her actions later, after Daphne confesses her story, and asks for forgiveness and stands with Daphne. Third Year At Malory Towers Alicia informs Darrell that Betty has a whooping-cough and won't be back until half-term, so as Sally is not coming back for a while as she has mumps, Darrell and Alicia decide to team up. Jean, who is head girl this term, mentions that Alicia's tongue is getting quite sharp. Alicia becomes restless and bored with Betty gone. She is sent a parcel with sneezing powder from her brother Sam, and decides to use it on Miss Peters. However, when Sally comes back, Darrell forgets all about Alicia for a bit, and she worries that she won't even get to share Darrell with Sally. Sally becomes jealous when she hears that Darrell and Alicia chummed up while she was gone. She also disapproves of Alicia's sneezing powder trick as she worries that it is dangerous. Alicia sees Sally's jealousy and plays up to Darrell more to annoy her. After Miss Peters saves Bill Robinson's horse Thunder from colic, the girls decide that they don't want to play the sneezing trick on her anymore after giving her three cheers. Alicia takes Darrell off to do the planning, pleased to see Sally's jealousy in public. This upsets Darrell. Darrell helps Alicia organise the trick, but Miss Potts catches them at it and Alicia has to confess. The whole form is punished, apart from Sally. Alicia is thrilled when Darrell gets into the team for the lacrosse match. Upper Fourth at Malory Towers Alicia's cousin June begins at Malory Towers in the first form, same as Darrell's sister Felicity. Alicia has no intention of taking June under wing, like Darrell intends to do with her sister. She teases new girls Connie and Ruth Batten when they arrive, and during supper, we learn that Alicia told June to "jolly well look after herself, because first formers are such small fry we aren't even worth taking notice of!". Alicia teases Darrell about having a "glint" in her eye when she loses her temper, and when the North Tower girls have prep in the Court, Betty and Alicia try to ruin it, and tease Darrell about her "glint". Alicia mentions to Darrell that she doesn't think that it is a good idea for Gwen to have complete control over new girl Clarissa Carter, and keeps twitting her, making Darrell angry. Alicia is left waiting for Gwen and Clarissa with Belinda when they fail to come back at the right time from Mrs Lucy's when the fourth formers have their picnic, but she helps them take the food and hide it by the swimming pool for the fourth form to have a midnight feast. She locks it in a cubby hole, but is seen coming back by Betty, who she invites to the feast. Later, she forgets the key, so she has to sneak back and get it. June catches her in the act, and threatens to spill the beans, so Alicia scolds her. A storm comes, and the feasters relocate to the first form common room, where June and Felicity interrupt them. After the feast, Alicia speaks to the head girl of the first form and tells her she is displeased with June's behaviour, and the first form send June to Coventry. This makes June decide she is going to own up about the feast, to get even with Alicia. Darrell loses her temper with June and is forced to resign as head girl. Alicia doesn't believe in Gwen's weak heart, but is the first one to question her absence. She scorns the people who are struggling with the School Cert. causing Connie to lose her temper, but Alicia begins to feel ill during exam week and is diagnosed with measles after she faints during the last exam. This is a turning point for Alicia as she decides not to be so hard on everyone else. When she recovers, Betty and the rest of the form play a trick on Mam'zelle Dupont to celebrate. In the Fifth at Malory Towers Alicia did not pass the School Cert. and has to work for it again on the side. She immediately strikes up a rivalry with old fifth former Moira Linton, resenting her domineering ways. She dislikes Maureen Little and mocks her on the first evening, then is part of the plan to push her onto Gwen. She also encourages Mamzelle Dupont to play a trick on the girls. Alicia leads the girls when they imitate Gwen's fond farewells to her family. She is voted onto the committee for the fifth form's pantomime, along with Mavis Allyson, Irene, Belinda, Darrell, Janet, Sally and Betty, and is enlisted by Moira for general organisation. Alicia is cast as the Demon King in the pantomime, meaning that she has to spend time learning to conjure and juggle. She finds this hard, as it requires practice. Alicia is in on the plan to humiliate Maureen, after she drives everyone to distraction with her self-admiration. Maureen is upset and runs out. Gwen remarks how much she hates Maureen, and Alicia cannot resist drawing on the similarities between Gwen and Maureen. Moira bosses Alicia and Betty around too much at rehearsals, making the two girls resent her. Alicia comes up with a demon chant that she didn't have time to ask Darrell to put in, and after Betty takes her side and Darrell follows, anxious to avoid a row, Moira blows up and Alicia walks off. Darrell writes in Alicia's chant, and Moira gives in with very bad grace. When Moira begins to receive anonymous letters, Alicia is one of the people that she suspects could be sending them, but Miss Potts, Darrell and Sally dismiss that Alicia could be behind it. At the next rehearsal, Moira and Alicia have another row and Alicia resigns from the pantomime, leaving Darrell distraught at its ruin. Betty also resigns as co-producer. Alicia is shocked when her cousin June is revealed to be the person writing the anonymous letters to Moira, and Miss Grayling decides to expel her. Felicity runs to the fifth form common room and begs for help. Moira goes to talk to Miss Grayling and June is let off. This causes Alicia to withdraw her resignation and come back as the Demon King Last Term at Malory Towers Alicia joins the joke of Irene losing her health certificate for the final time. She hears Gwen regaling her tale of her fight in the holidays with her father, and is sickened by it. Alicia is relieved and glad when Catherine Gray leaves from last term, as she could not stand her doormat ways. Alicia mocks the new girl Amanda Chartelow, scornfully suggesting that she should enter the Olympic Games, unaware that this is actually Amanda's intention. Gwen is also unimpressed by Amanda, and hopes that Alicia will deal with her. Alicia takes the Higher Cert. exam in her last term. Alicia continues to be disgusted and bored by Gwen's grand finishing school. She is disappointed in June when June gives up being coached by Amanda, as June could be really good if she tried. She laughed a lot when the second formers decide to prank Mamzelle during a sixth form lesson to cheer them up after their exams. Alicia gives June a pep talk after Amanda is injured, telling her to do her best for the school now that Amanda can't. She is immensely proud of June in the teams when she swims and plays. Alicia gives June a warning to "carry the standard high" on her last day. After Malory Towers Alicia goes to St Andrews University with Betty, Sally and Darrell after attending Malory Towers, and joins the police force afterwards. She rejoins the old girls in Goodbye, Malory Towers for the reunion, works out who has been plaguing Gwen with pranks and helps to lay a trap for the culprit. It is unknown if she has children, but she vows to send any of them to Malory Towers and to Bill Robinson and Clarissa's riding school. Category:Characters Category:Malory Towers Student Category:Female Category:North Tower